James Forten was born free in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He spent many of his formative years in a Quaker school. At the age of eight he began working for a sail loft. This would lead him to his fortune.
Forten’s father also worked at the loft but died tragically after a boating accident. James had to take on additional work to support his family. By 1798, Forten was running the loft. Soon, he owned the business outright and employed dozens of workers.
Politics quickly became an interest for Forten. He campaigned for Black equality, temperance, and women’s suffrage. Because of the size of his sailing empire, his influence was massive.
Forten would publish a pamphlet in 1800, an election year, denouncing the Pennsylvania legislature for prohibiting the immigration of freed Black people from other states. This upset many presidential candidates. They hated seeing an educated Black man advocate for the emancipation of slaves, but that didn’t deter Forten from his purpose.
James Forten could’ve easily gotten rich and switched up on us but he didn’t. Instead, he stood tall in his commitment to liberating Black people because he understood if one of us isn't free, the rest of us aren’t free either.